Myths

I have stated before that I have nothing but respect for ‘Mike Ashley the Businessman’ his net worth is far more than mine, better make that FAR more than mine, and he has built it up his ‘way’.
However, I detest ‘Mike Ashley the Man’, his manipulation of the fans, the media and the internal workings of our once mighty club are deplorable. Yet no matter how much we despise him he will never leave under the current circumstances, let’s face it would any businessman walk away from an investment with guaranteed profits week in week out, year after year? No they would not! The only way to ensure that he leaves is to take away those profits.
I am sick of being told I am not a ‘true fan’ for encouraging boycotting SJP, but I have said repeatedly, go to the games, but don’t go inside, stand outside shoulder to shoulder like the old days, clap, shout and sing, make an almighty racket like we did in the days before ‘seating’.

Let the media work FOR us, because there is no way Ashley will want a car park full of singing, shouting fans all over the news.
He will never dirty his own hands but will order security to ‘remove’ the problem, which I am pretty sure could generate some pretty unsavoury ‘incidents’ and even more negative publicity for the Sports Direct Empire.

Hopefully he will display the club as sound financial concern and auction off our heritage in the Souks of the Middle East … and leave it at that without any spiteful ‘parting digs’ at the City of Newcastle … and by that I mean stripping assets or doing anything childish by setting up embarrassing deals before he hands over the reins.
Joe Writeson

Reg Burlam

I wouldn’t hold out too much respect for Mike Ashley the business man.

He’s made his fortune mainly by doing what many other ethically and morally conscious others would not. He operates like a scumbag, and that’s why he has had success. Many other individuals could have taken that route and been equally as successful, but its deplorable and many others are better people than that.

He has business savvy, of course, but don’t give him too much credit. He steps where good people dare and want not to.

The rest of your post is bang on and I agree with it entirely, too many people say we can’t do anything, it’s pointless etc. but as you say any publicity (which is slowly growing in all corners of his empire) which highlights his practices will have an effect. The media can aid us in this. At the very least we can get some exposure and knowledge to those who blindly and ignorantly condemn NUFC fans for being greedy or disillusioned and make them understand that this isn’t just about NUFC and us fans, its about football in general and the way the game is going.

Agreed Reg, its about the whole game, there are now clubs who will never even dream of competing in the big time because of the money being ploughed into the ‘Top six’.

But for me the fans seem to enjoy their football even more knowing that they are not ruled by cash alone?

Something that really gets me going is the prices of distinctly ‘average’ footballers, we hear double figures being quoted for foreign players who end up warming the bench because they ‘Cannot adapt to the English Game’ … and don’t get me started about agents … the bottom feeders of the game.

Time for change … time for ACTION!

Multisitio

Time to support the Heed. I would get hugely more pleasure from them getting into the league than NUFC blundering about as they are now.

Distantecho

You’re wrong actually. In fact your post is pretty ignorant when it comes to facts. When Ashley began to build his empire the UK sports industry was basically run by a small clique of retailers who often acted in concert to the detriment of consumers. (JJB was fined 5.5 million for price fixing along with others). Ashley pretty much blew that away and built his empire by offering value to the public, something that often put him at odds with the major brands and his bigger competitors, most of which he ended up burying.

Reg Burlam

Ok, so what have you proven there that makes me wrong? Nothing.

You state yourself that ‘a small clique of retailers who acted in concert to the detriment of customers’. Essentially proving my point that he’s a scumbag who’s made his fortune immorally.

That is the point and you have proved it?

Distantecho

Ok, you obviously struggle a bit with reading so I’ll try again. But this will be the last time Reg, so pay attention.
You see the words “Ashley pretty much blew that away”? That means that he wasn’t one of the clique, he actually destroyed them. Do you get it now?

While football clubs should be run financially well, I would say that When ambition for money is the only aim for a club you have to ask why you are supporting that club. Running the club as such a business is OK if you are only driven by money, but we are not and Ashley is in danger of killing the golden goose and killing the club via the supporters. The present support born before or because of the entertainers tag keegan Shearer and others is one thing but I don’t see many kids going willingly to the alter of support at SJP at this present time. Those kids are this clubs future and we are losing them to the more glamorous clubs [and that does not take much at present] my son still curses me for converting him as a kid from Liverbirds to NUFC and I cant blame him. Ashleys reign has to end for our sanity and the future of this club. No more excuses don’t believe the lies, they are easy to spot anyone associated with the club speaks that’s a lie right there. This has to end even the mackems showed us the way, they got Poyet out. Ashleyout.com

Stephen Hull

Great news at long last the penny has dropped the problem at NUFC is Mike Ashley, he is the one who makes the decisions, lack of manager and players all down to him, Hit Sports Direct he will not like that one minute, cover up the tatty boards in the ground, protest outside one of the local shops use 0 hours and low pay so to gain media attention. it can be done HWTL

onedavidmccreery

Great news and at long last a focus on the main problem, fat Mike! . Empty seats is the way forward and a planned protest will get my support. If this fails then it’s simple, mags fans will deserve the fat f##ker if they continue not to support a plan to get to the root cause, regardless of him being the “owner”. Let’s see how it all pans out and fingers crossed!!!

Come on Chronicle tell the Fans about the ‘Debt’…. analyse it…. and then apologise for the Eight years of starvation, mismanagement, and turmoil!

Multisitio

Joe Writeson – I don’t see his business acumen as a football club owner at least. He has cut not just to the bone but the bone itself. It is good to reduce the wastage in football expenditure but here we have a guy who could earn the club easily another 10 million or so a season by coming in c 5 places higher – but instead he lets it slide and slide, to the point we could easily go down. Then, he would be tens of millions down and I don’t see how that can be construed as good business. Bleeding the club dry on the debt, the bagging of merchandising/clup shop revenue and the free advertising – yes, that might be good business – though it should probably be illegal, is certainly unethical and does not serve the club. Best if he sells up pronto. Would not be bad if Mort came back – seemed a decent chap. Wonder if Freshfields pays him enough to put cash on the line.

tairaruth

Just want to wish you guys, all, the very best of luck during this venture.

CladderJack

I’ve said for a while that all the fat controller wants us for is to advertise his cheap brand. It’s named as a global Internet address and we get him the cheapest global advertisement he could ever get. He ensures his grip on this by his ‘loan’ and don’t kid yourself we will ever be allowed to pay that off, or even reduce it by any significant amount. The latest accounts prove that yet again. The way to beat it, is to turn SJP into an anti sports direct advertisement. If every fan goes to every game with simple signs highlighting the worst of fat Mike and his chav brand, it would soon become an embarrassment he could not afford. Come on ashley out.com print some up and hand them out!

egbert

“Sack Pardew” has really improved things, eh?

Kenny Boy

Unless they can find somebody with the millions to buy him out this Ashley Out farce will be just as destructive. Bunch of clowns, don’t understand the problem, lack the ability or wherewithal to offer a solution.

MonkseatonMag

So Egbert, you think Ashley is doing a good job – right?

foggy

Look, if you are all going to Leazers park next weekend don’t go clad in your Wonga shirt.
Wear an older toon shirt with any other sponsors name.
Infact why not take your wonga shirt along and then everyone can build a Wonga bonfire and burn the bloody lot.
spiffing!

Allan Kierszten

im rangers daft and you all the shi*e weve went through and I cannot wait till we get Ashley paid off and out of ibrox for good
he is just a greedy greedy man wanting more all the time
so all you Newcastle fans have got my best wishes in getting that rat out of your club all the best

JackZ

Us as toon fans should own the club

Distantecho

That’s great. How will you be paying? Cash or cheque?

tairaruth

Best of luck guys. As far as shirts go, one of the things we have done is to introduce a ‘Rangers First Shirt’ .. a ‘Lion Brand’ shirt which is in our team colours but rather than sporting the Rangers Crest it has a Lion on it. It offers an alternative to buying the ‘Rangers jersey where 75% of the proceeds go towards Mike Ashley. In this case, the proceeds go towards Rangers Supporters Trust who put the money towards purchasing more and more shares for the fans. Most of us here have boycotted Sports Direct and wearing this shirt allows us to show our support for the team AND our support of the boycott.

Other suggestions I have seen on some of our pages are a ‘GAO fund (Get Ashley Out)’ where simple donations would be taken (something perhaps even as crass as begging tins or whatever outside of stores and games), stored and handed to the new board to put towards paying of the debt that is owed.

We will likely still see some of our supporters buying the new gear and of course there are always those that cry ‘do this or that or you are not a real supporter’ but when it comes down to it…buying from a company who shows nothing but contempt for the product and customer tends to stick in the throats of most consumers.

As far as ‘respect for Mike Ashley the Businessman’ goes .. I am one who holds little respect for his business practices due to his ability to alienate his market. Certainly he has proven himself to be a decent conman and able to make deals which benefit himself in the short term, but over all he reminds me Jabba the Hutt from Star wars who met his demise by the ‘freedom fighters’ in the end. By dropping the teams so heavily into mediocrocy he has weakened the attractiveness of his product (less people want to wear the shirt of a team that gets beat day in/day out) and with his absolute contempt for me as a fan .. well I would rather shoot myself in the foot than give him any of my hard-earned money.

One (perhaps) positive thing that has developed from this, is that as a Canadian-Scot who never payed much attention to football south of the border, this -has- put Newcastle on the map for me. I now look for your games when televised and sincerely wish you well not only in your effort to get your club to where you want it, but I wish you success on the field as well.

Ruth Charlton
Glasgow

Robert Sobota-Tulip

They say that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Ashley’s ‘reign’ at NUFC will consign this quote to the dustbin.

This ‘man’ is not only damaging football but also the image of UK plc.

How long will it be before the World starts crashing down around this despicable human?

Expect him to be summoned before a parliamentary select committee soon.

I HAVE AN IDEA. A dream? What do you think?
Briefly, rather than get 1000’s of investors to buy the club, why not try to get 10 to 15 people/investors? Each would own a share and then build a management team to run the club for the club and the fans. I do know one or two people I could run the details by to see if it is feasable but I really would like to know what you fans think of someone trying to organise such an idea?
Let me know what you think …. Please.

Dave R

Ashley never wanted to sell the club just another of his many lies he pretended too to get the fans off his back and it worked Ashley is a liar, he never had any intension of selling ever.

For a man desperate to sell his football club, Mike Ashley seems to be going about it in a funny way.

The
Newcastle United owner is in Dubai with chairman Derek Llambias,
executive director Dennis Wise and head of recruitment Tony Jimenez,
in an effort to secure a buyer.

But attempts to double his money with an asking price of £481million
have been rejected. Yesterday there were allegations that Ashley snubbed
a meeting with a Dubai consortium and caused offence by drinking in
public during Ramadan.

These claims came as, back home, Wigan
Athletic chairman Dave Whelan branded Ashley as unfit to run a football
club and deserving of the stick he is getting.

A photograph of
Ashley allegedly drinking cocktails appeared on the Arabian Business
website, with the claim that he had opted to head for the bar rather
than a meeting with potential buyers.

Associates of Ashley deny
this but it was reported that the billionaire businessman refused to go
to the meeting when he discovered they were prepared to offer only
£200m. Ashley had asked for more than double that in documents handed to
representatives of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al- Maktoum.

A
Dubai group indicated they would offer considerably less but a meeting
was nevertheless set up at the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel. While Ashley’s
camp claim Jimenez attended as Newcastle’s representative, Arabian
Business described Ashley’s decision to go drinking with Wise and
Llambias as a snub.

So far, attempts to stir up interest in Dubai
are floundering. Last night, a statement from Dubai Investment Group
read: ‘Following incorrect media speculation about Newcastle Football
Club, Dubai Investment Group can confirm that it is not involved in any
negotiations to buy Newcastle Football Club, nor does it plan to do so
in the future.’

A spokesman for Dubai Sports City said much the
same, insisting the three businessmen who privately own the $40billion
development are ‘not interested’ either. Zabeel Investments, owned by
Al-Maktoum, appear to have left the door slightly ajar even though
chairman Mohammed Ali Al-Hashimi insisted he has had no direct contact
with Newcastle or their representatives. ‘We have not had any contact
and I am not interested in any English Premier League club right now,’
he told Arabian Business.

One City source criticised Ashley and
said: ‘What he’s reported to be doing in the Middle East sounds like
Loony Tunes to me – sheer lunacy. It’s all unbelievable. Had it not been
for Ashley, a deal could have been done by now, ‘Plus, that starting
price was ridiculous. They just won’t do business in Dubai with such an
inflated price. It was simply a plain stupid move and who knows what
this guy will do next.’

Ashley has turned for help to Keith
Harris, the former Football League chairman who secured the deals that
saw Icelanders take over West Ham, Randy Lerner buy Aston Villa and
Thaksin Shinawatra take charge of Manchester City. Whelan added to the
criticism of Ashley yesterday and said: ‘I know Mike Ashley quite well
because I was running JJB when he was with Sports Direct, and he is a
bit unusual.

He is a very good retailer, but at managing a
football club, no. ‘Especially with him being a Tottenham supporter and
then going up to Newcastle, a club that is a different kettle of fish to
most in the land.
‘The fans up there eat, breathe and live for
one thing, and that is Newcastle United. Unless you put your whole heart
into it, they will give you some stick. He has got it and he deserves
it.’

Newcastle were unavailable comment last night.

Rob

Next season why not buy a shirt from a local club like Blyth Spartans or Gateshead Town. I would rather give my money to them than Mike Ashley

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